Chapter Eleven: A Past Unveiled

"I started my journey four years ago, see." Xeo was saying amiably. The pair was sitting by the side of the road, giving their Pokemon a well deserved break. Sayo, still slightly put upon by her loss, was at first reluctant to spend her afternoon lazing about. Usually the first thing she would do was to spend several hours engaged in intense special training trying to figure out how things had gone wrong. Instead, Xeo had persuaded her to take advantage of some down time, and forget about battles and training for a few hours. Sayo hated to admit it, but he was right. The relaxing had really taken a load off of her mind and allowed her to think. Even the gloomy threat of having to enter Cerulean City again seemed a far away reality. Something about this cheerful and enigmatic trainer brought forth an aura of calm and happiness.

"Sayo, are you listening?" Sayo jumped, realizing that she had let her thoughts wander.

"Sorry, Xeo," She said hastily, trying to hide her embarrassment. "The sunlight was beginning to make me sleepy. So you have been training for four years?"

"Yep," He said proudly, a rather boyish grin spreading across his face. "I am a Cinnabar native, see. On my tenth birthday my parents gave me a Growlithe and booted me out the door. Said that I needed a little firsthand experience. Of course, being young and impressionable, the thing I wanted most was to be like Blaine, our Gym Leader. Sometimes I felt isolated from other trainers because I didn't have a proper starter Pokemon, but that quickly disappeared as I got to know my new companion. We spent two years with Blaine, and I learned valuable skills about fire-type Pokemon, but eventually we decided to move on. There were things that we had to learn ourselves, and challenges that we wouldn't get to face until we were truly out on our own.'

"When we left, Blaine gave me a fire stone and I evolved Blaze into an Arcanine. Together, we gathered a team of valuable fighters and set out on our adventure. We felt that Kanto was a bit too tame and so we went out to conquer Johto first. Didn't win the league of course, we made some pretty dreadful blunders, but we managed to hack and slash our way to the finals. After we were a bit more seasoned, we travelled to Sinnoh and started competing for badges over there. We managed to win the Pokemon League, but got smashed to pieces by the Sinnoh Elite Four. It wasn't a complete waste though; we learned some valuable lessons."

Here he gave Sayo a meaningful glance. "Never think that you can win by sheer force alone. Even if you have the most powerful Pokemon in the world, there is still the possibility of defeat." Xeo lapsed into silence again, and turned his face up to the sky, letting the gentle breeze sweep his blonde hair away from his face. "Boy did she hit that home."

Sayo looked up, her interest piqued, "She?"

"Cynthia, the Elite Four Champion." He said in a somewhat morose tone. "I never even got the chance to battle her. Lucian completely cleaned me out. She gave me a few consolatory words of wisdom though, and boy did they cut me like a knife." Xeo looked up and smiled at his friends' concerned expression. "In a good way of course."

Sayo laughed, "Of course." She then let out a huge sigh. "I never even stood a chance, did I?"

Xeo's face molded into a stern expression. "Sayo, you are just a beginner with only one badge under your belt. Don't get all upset over one small battle between friends. If I may say so you did amazingly for such an inexperienced trainer, and I don't mince words, see. So let's have none of your moping about." He grinned cheekily at her before looking back at the sky.

Sayo was about to grin back at him when something hit her. "Hang on," she said, frowning. "How do you know that I have only one badge? I never mentioned that."

Xeo laughed again and clapped a hand to his forehead. "I forgot to tell you. I was watching your battle with Flint the other day. He and my dad are old pals and go way back, see. I stopped by his place once the roads to Pewter had opened up, and saw the whole thing."

She cast him a reproachful look. "You might have mentioned that sooner." Then, hesitating, she drew out her badge case. "Then by any chance were you the one who left this?"

"No," he said, frowning as he examined it. "This is a pretty old and expensive case. Definitely not something I could afford." He opened it up and raised his eyebrows at the twelve indentations inside. "This is strange. Nowadays, badge cases are made to hold only eight badges because that's all the trainer needs in order to enter the League. I have never heard of a case that has been made to hold all twelve badges before." He handed it back to her apologetically. "Sorry I can't be of much use."

Sayo sighed as she accepted it and put it in her bag again. It was worth a try. "That's fine, Xeo. I'll probably find out eventually, when it's the right time." She stretched her arms and looked up at the sky. It was streaked with purple and gold as the sun started to set behind the azure silhouettes of the mountain range. She had travelled to many places in her lifetime, but Kanto had some of the most beautiful sunsets she had ever seen.

Suddenly she sat bolt upright and leapt to her feet in panic. "It's sunset!" She shrieked. "Oh damn it all!"

"What's wrong?" Xeo said, looking up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I absolutely cannot be roaming the streets of Cerulean City at night. Or even the countryside for that matter. I need to be safely inside the Pokemon Center as quickly and as quietly as possible, before night falls."

"Why?" He said curiously.

"Let's just say that there are some people that I would much rather not meet at the moment." Sayo said tersely.

Xeo knew that he wasn't going to get any more out of her than that so he let the matter slide. "Well good luck, I'll probably run into you at the center later. I have some business at the Cerulean Gym as well. See you soon!"

Sayo nodded curtly and then recalled her Pokemon back to their balls. Charmander growled in a disgruntled manner, but allowed himself to be recalled. Sayo didn't want them to be seen until they were all safely inside the Pokemon Center. There was just too much to risk. Hastily she took her Pokedex and Poke balls and stuffed them inside a hidden pocket in her dress. If she was caught, she would need a means of escape.

Darkness was almost upon Cerulean as Sayo crossed into the city limits. It looked as peaceful and as calm as ever, with the ever present sound of splashing fountains echoing through the dim alleys. Truly this was one of the most beautiful cities in Kanto, she thought as she crept along a darkened street. If only the people could be so as well.

Sayo turned onto another street and was relieved to see the brightly lit silhouette of the Pokemon Center about a hundred meters away. Throwing caution to the winds she began to run toward it, the apprehension that had been flooding through her body now ebbing away. Surely they would have made a move by now. Then, just as she passed a tall telephone pole, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alley. Instantly she began to twist and struggle, trying to throw her assailant off, but to no avail. He was at least twice her height and had huge muscles that were as hard as steel. Quickly and easily he slammed her against the wall and twisted her hands painfully behind her back. Ignoring her small cry of pain, he used a leather thong and tied her wrists tightly together.

Sayo silently cursed herself. How could she have been so careless? She knew that she should have left earlier, but Xeo's bright smile and cheerful company had compelled her to stay until darkness had almost ascended. There was no way that they wouldn't have noticed her. One last time she tried to kick out and free herself but the man just chuckled. A cloth came over her mouth and nose and the sweetly nauseating smell of chloroform wafted into her system.

"No," she managed to choke out, and then she collapsed at the base of the wall. The big man picked her up as lightly as a feather and then slipped away into the darkness.

Sayo woke up to find herself lying upon a magnificent four poster bed. Heavy velvet hangings hung down around her like a tent, except on her right where they had been drawn back to allow the bright light flood inside. Squinting, she sat up and looked around. She was still in her clothes and her hands were mercifully unbound. Silently, she drew her knees to her chest and allowed a single tear to leak out and trickle down her face. After almost a year on the run she had blundered stupidly right into their hands.

"You're looking well, Sayo," came a sweet voice. Sayo spun around, startled. Out of the shadows by her bedside rose a tall, beautiful woman. She was dressed in a long, red velvet dress and her golden hair was piled ornately on the top of her head. Magnificent gold jewelry hung from her ears, wrists and at her throat. She stared at Sayo and her full, red lips curved into a smile.

Sayo shuddered, that smile had always reminded her of a wolf, the moment before he descended upon his prey. Still, she could not show any fear, this she knew from experience. Automatically, she straightened her back and lifted her chin, staring straight into the woman's face. "Thank you, Auntie," she responded quietly.

"I must say, I was very surprised when we picked up your transponder signal." The woman said again, sitting on the side of the bed. Sayo resisted the urge to inch away. "You have done a magnificent job avoiding us for many months now. Never before has a runaway ever eluded me." A slender hand snaked up and clasped Sayo's chin, turning the girls' head so that the two were eye to eye. "I must say, it made me very angry indeed."

Turning away, she let go of her nieces face and reached for something on the floor. She produced Sayo's bag and placed it on her lap. Long fingers rummaged through it for a few moments before producing the long silver badge case. Opening it up, she delicately stroked the soft velvet and picked up the shiny boulder badge. "Now, however could you have gotten this?" She inquired, turning it around in her palm.

Sayo's stomach clenched but years of training enabled her to keep her face perfectly controlled. "Oh, you misunderstand, Auntie," she said smiling. "The case is not mine. I merely picked it up off of the ground. Knowing how valuable it must be I decided to keep it. I'm afraid that not much money comes your way when you are on the run. I was planning on selling it when I got into town."

Auntie raised an elegant eyebrow. "How uncharacteristic of you, Sayo. You were always so dreadfully honest; I would never imagine that you would do anything with this case other than turn it over to the police. Still, I am glad that you have risen above such things."

Sayo could tell that her aunt still had a final burning question on her mind. This was the question that she had been building up to all evening. "Still always the cunning one," she thought.

Then her aunt did something totally unexpected. Using a sharp silver knife that was hidden in her sleeve, she picked up the badge holder and pried off the outer casing. The tarnished silver shell fell away, revealing a pure gold inner layer. It gleamed as strongly as if it had just been polished, and on the top was an ornate engraving of a Dragonite circling a blazing star. Unable to help herself, Sayo let out a gasp of surprise and wonder. Auntie's face suddenly transformed from a caring expression to one of utter rage. She grasped Sayo's wrist harshly and pulled the girl foreword. "Do you know what that engraving on the case means, girl?" She hissed. "That is the family emblem of the Lorendi, the family who are at the head of Interpol. They control the police forces all over the world. I do not believe for a second that you, a member of this family, just happened to come across such a thing. Who gave it to you, and for what purpose?" She shook her niece violently. "Answer!"

Sayo gathered up her courage and looked her aunt in the eye. "Believe me, Auntie, it was just a coincidence, nothing more. I don't believe that the Lorendi are even aware of this family's involvement. How could they? All who serve us do so undercover and all confidential transmissions are disguised to look like background static. You should know this better than I."

Disgusted, Auntie threw the girl back onto the bed. "You will remain here for now. Be grateful that you are my niece, and can be given a second chance. Not many are so lucky. I will come for you in the morning."

She swept regally out of the room and pulled the door closed behind her. The minute she left, Sayo sank back onto her bed and rummaged through her pocket. In a burst of red light, Eevee appeared looking around in confusion. "Sorry for this, Eevee," Sayo choked. "I would release Charmander too, but his tail flame would be too noticeable. Just stay with me for a little bit."

The loyal little Pokemon curled up in Sayo's lap and gently licked her bruised wrists. Then, unable to hold it in any longer, the girl buried her face in Eevee's fur and cried.